From the pamphlet by the fountain side, neatly placed between the 2 lions, if I want to make a proper wish on this fountain, I have to turn my back from the fountain and toss a coin over my left shoulder. The pamphlet does not explain further on the origin of this practice, like any other cultural practices from all around the world, where we do it because of tradition and it has been in our timeline far too long that we have adapted to the practices.
When I finish, what should I wish for? A quick trip back home? An unlimited money source? True love? A ticket to travel everywhere without being seen as a terrorist?
Or having an anti-wet suit? Because the water from the lion is too cold, those lions are definitely sick in their stomach.
The coin collecting trip to the pool is torturous. At the start, I try to collect the coins by the outside the pool, but soon I realize my hands by itself are unreliable as a tool for collection. When my hands are wet from collecting, the coins may either fall onto the floor or back to the pool again. It is a good thing I have enough cookie containers to carry the coins, with just one of them is good enough for me to fill the coins until my hand is heavy from holding a jar of coins. Kids will definitely love stuffing these coins down the piggy bank, so does the glass box.
Seeing the glass box being fed with a lot of coins from different origins (not only I see US nickels, Euros a Thai bahts, I also see arcade coins, collector coins and a one seemingly made of gold that I couldn't help but place it into my pocket), I feel strangely happy as if I am the one who is earing this much money and saving them for sugary snacks. With the last coin insert to the box, the coins cover only about 1/30th of the box area according to my conservative calculations.
This is going to be a long day for a leg and strength workout.
Collecting from the water and taking them to the box. I wonder if this money would ever be put to good use. If the coins are stolen from overlooked people like me, are we taking away their dreams and wishes? Maybe they want to use the power of wishes to graduate with flying colors; maybe they hope to reconcile with their estranged partner; maybe they just want a friend...And I take their hopeful connection to the God of Wishes away from them.
Sure, God of Wishes may have never existed in real life, though I am already starting to believe in the paranormal in the future. Then hardly anybody will go back the next day to see whether their coin (if they even remember the details of it) is still there sparkling in the pool because there are other places to enjoy rather than holding on to what they might perceive to be a one time charm. But taking away their right to wish for the sake of earning enough to eat is disrespectful, not only for the people who do take their effort for one wish but also to the fountain itself who gives the platform for everybody to have the chance to make themselves genuinely happy.
Though even with my hands reaching for the coins from all sides of the fountain and collecting them without slipping up as deeply as possible, the box is still not full enough to lift the other box, just about 50% of it. Not an insignificant weight, but there is a long way before success.
Time for me to get desperate, even if the fountain gets mad at me for dirtying their water with my body.
I feel pain & unbalance when I first have both of my feet stepping on the unevenly piled coins, taking me a long time of collecting before my feet is able to adapt the new ground passably. The water current from the lions are also a tricky component to handle, the water is strong & cold to be able to push me down to the cold pool if I am directly underneath it, potentially freezing and injuring my body in the process.
Having my feet into my water also has a lot of problems, since wet legs equal high chances of me slipping to the floor. It is fine when I just slip on my own, but when I slip and the coins in the container scatter all over the floor, I have to waste my time collecting them back again. The prolonged work gets harder the more water dripped to the floor from my body, at least I have my shower for a day, though obviously less exciting than the shower at the stop.
Sometime later, the tedious task is completed without any last minute changes, the fuel is also ripe to be taken. But first, I let some of the water in my body drip naturally to the floor before drying it with a tower because I don't want to get it too wet if I will be doing similar tasks in this day. Wearing back my comfortable clothes back again, I am ready to drive to the next place.
Finished fueling the caravan, not taking anything as it would be rude to take away coins from them, I look at this place pamphlet again. A Malaysian sen specifically found by me 5 minutes after the task is done, making my right arm a little wetter than it deserves. Well, I say I won't take these coins out of this place, I don't say that I won't be using one of the coins to make a wish.
My body follows the picture of the pamphlet and I make my secret wish that I will only share it to people who I truly love in the future.
Now, the coin is back to the pool of sparkling coins, either happy to be back with his friends or sad to endure another long period of cold. While I start my next trip in this lonely world.